Giving knee issues the slip
Julie Holtsclaw
Jul, 2020
Physicians: Jeffrey Postma, DO
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While participating in an exercise class one afternoon, Julie Holtsclaw of Watervliet felt her right knee joint slip out of place. The moment it happened, she knew something was wrong. But after following up with her primary care provider and undergoing a few tests, Julie decided against surgery to repair the joint. That decision led to a year of challenges and compromises, as she dealt with the issue on her own.
“I tried to live with the problem and strengthen my knee through rehabilitation and exercise,” said Julie. “But it just kept getting worse.”
Knowing her knee was unstable and could slip out of place at any time, Julie had to take extra precautions when moving from sitting to standing. She was also forced to slow down when it came to activities she loved such as working around her house and teaching archery in a local 4-H program.
“It really became dangerous,” she said. “When my knee slipped out, it was sometimes so unstable that I would fall.”
Julie knew it was time to seek a more permanent solution for her own safety and quality of life. She contacted orthopedic surgeon, Jeffrey Postma, DO. With Dr. Postma’s practice located close to her home in Watervliet, Julie felt at ease with the friendly staff.
“I love the entire office staff,” she said. “I didn’t feel rushed when I came for an appointment. It was always a personal experience.”
That attention to personal care continued with Dr. Postma.
“I appreciated everything about him,” said Julie. “He explained what was going on and the ‘why’ behind it. He took the time to really examine my knee and talked through the various treatment options.”
Dr. Postma noted that Julie’s knee issue was not caused by lack of muscle strength and could never truly be corrected with rehabilitation and exercise. Instead, the torn cartilage that caused the knee to slip out of place would need to be removed.
“There were so many things I wanted to do, including continuing to teach archery,” said Julie. “Having an unstable knee would have made that very difficult. I told Dr. Postma I wanted to have the surgery.”
Julie underwent a knee arthroscopy, a minimally invasive procedure where the surgeon uses small incisions to access the joint, at Lakeland Hospital Watervliet.
“Before the surgery, my nurse Tamyra noticed I was nervous and did everything she could to make me comfortable,” said Julie. “She treated me with special care and attention.”
Just days after the surgery, Julie was feeling better and back to working out. Recently, she even hauled wheelbarrows full of rocks more than a quarter of a mile for a home project without any fear of falling.
“On a follow up visit with Dr. Postma, I shared what a difference he had made in my life, and he got a little teary-eyed,” said Julie. “It was really touching to see that.”
“Before I was forced to slow down because of my knee and trying to be careful I was really active,” said Julie. “I feel like Dr. Postma gave me a big part of my life back.”
Watch more of Julie's story below: